The present invention relates to an electrical monitoring system.
Referring to FIG. 1, many electrical power distribution systems include a panel enclosure 10 into which is provided electrical power using one or more sets of wires 12. The electrical power may have any voltage, any current, and any number of phases (e.g., single phase, two phases, or three phases). Each phase of the electrical power to the power panel is normally provided to a separate bus bar 14a, 14b, and 14c, which are normally elongate conductors within the power panel 10. A plurality of circuit breakers 16a, 16b, and 16c, etc. which trip or otherwise selectively disconnect electrical power, are electrically interconnected between one or more of the bus bars 14a, 14b, and 14c, and respective loads 18 external to the power panel 10. In many power panels 10 the circuit breakers 16 are vertically aligned in one or more strips. When the load 18 interconnected to a respective circuit breaker 16 within the power panel 10 draws excessive electrical current then the circuit breaker 16 trips or otherwise disconnects the electrical power to the load 18. In this manner, if a load shorts and thereafter draws excessive current then the circuit breaker will trip. Frequently the load will be a three-phase load having three wires provided thereto, with one or more corresponding circuit breakers. Otherwise, the loads are typically single phase or two phases.
In many business environments a set of electrical loads, such as motors, lighting, heating units, cooling units, machinery, etc., may be electrically interconnected to one or more circuits, each of which may be a single phase or multi-phase. Obtaining the total power usage of the business may be readily obtained by reading the power meter provided by the power utility. The power meter is normally electrically interconnected between the power panel and the power utility. In many circumstances, it is desirable to monitor the power consumption of individual loads or groups of loads. The use of power meters permits effective monitoring of the power consumption of particular loads. Also, a set of power meters permits effective sub-metering of different loads, buildings, or groups of loads to attribute and monitor the power usage of the business. For example, the power sub-metering may be used to attribute the power costs charged by the utility to different buildings, departments, or cost centers. The traditional approach to monitoring such power usage is to install a power meter at a location proximate the load itself. To install a typical power meter on a three phase load, a current sensor is located around each wire of the three phases and a voltage connection is electrically interconnected to each wire. Such a power meter is available from Veris Industries, LLC under the name H8035 Power Meter.
Referring to FIG. 2, to monitor the power provided to a particular load from one or more individual circuit breakers 16 a respective current sensor 20 may be interconnected to the wire on the load side of the respective circuit breaker 16. Typical circuit breakers may include a single phase, two phases, or three phases. The outputs 22 of each of the current sensors 20 may be interconnected to a power monitor 24. The current sensors 20 may be interconnected to one or more power monitors. Also, the current sensors 20 may likewise be daisy chained together, or interconnected to the power monitor(s) in any other suitable manner. An electrical interconnection from each bus bar to the power monitor(s) normally includes wires 23a, 23b, 23c to sense the voltage and its corresponding phase relationship. Alternatively, the voltage potential and phase relationship for each phase may be sensed from locations other than the bus bars 14a, 14b, and 14c, such as for example, a wire provided to a load, the load side of a circuit breaker, the utility side of a circuit breaker, a capacitive coupling to the voltage potential, or the wire connection from the utility. It is to be understood that the power monitor may calculate power based upon a single phase, two phases, and/or three phases, etc., as desired. In essence, the power monitoring system may use the electrical path from the power monitor 24 to the bus bars (or otherwise) of at least one of the phases for a plurality of different loads. Typically, the power is calculated by multiplying the voltage, corresponding current, and corresponding power factor which relates to the phase relationship between the voltage and current.
Referring to FIG. 3, a set of sensors 60 may be supported by a support 62 which maintains the current sensors 60 in a fixed spatial relationship with respect to one another. Preferably the support 62 is rigid or semi-rigid, while a flexible support 62 that was installed on a rigid or a semi-rigid supporting member(s) may likewise be used. The sensors 60 are preferably current sensors, or alternatively, other types of sensors may be used. The sensors 60 are preferably wire wound torodial coils on a metallic or non-metallic core enclosed within a plastic housing through which a wire 63 may be extended, and the housings are at least partially surrounding the respective coil. Changing current within the wire 63 induces a changing magnetic field around the wire 63. The changing magnetic field in turn induces a changing current within the wire wound torodial coil. The changing current within the torodial coil may be used directly or converted to any suitable signal, such as for example, a voltage signal, or a different current signal.
The openings 64 defined by the sensors 60 are preferably oriented in a substantially parallel relationship with respect to each other and/or oriented in a substantially perpendicular relationship with respect to the longitudinal axis 66 of the support 62 or otherwise the general alignment of the sensors. Preferably, one set of the aligned sensors have a first linear arrangement and another set of the aligned sensors have a second linear arrangement, which may be parallel to each other. Also, preferably at least two of the aligned sensors have a first linear arrangement and at least two others of the aligned sensors have a second linear arrangement. A single aligned set of sensors 60 may be used or more than two sets of sensors 60 may be used, as desired.
Referring also to FIG. 4, the sensors 60 may be arranged such that the housings surrounding the current sensors have an overlapping region 70 in a substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the support 62 and/or general alignment of the sensors. Preferably, the openings 64 defined by the sensors 60 are in a non-overlapping relationship 72 with respect to one another and a non-overlapping relationship 74 with respect to other housings. This permits the sensors to be arranged in a more compact arrangement within the power panel.
Referring also to FIG. 5, a respective transient voltage suppressor 80 may be interconnected in parallel across the output terminals of each sensor 60. The transient voltage suppressors 80 limits the voltage build up at the terminals of the sensors 60, which may occur if the sensors are sensing a changing magnetic field while the terminals of the sensors 60 are open circuited. This decreases the likelihood that technicians will be the recipient of an unanticipated electrical shock.
Referring to FIG. 6, the current sensors 60 are preferably arranged in a spatial arrangement such that the openings 64 defined by the current sensors 60 are in a substantially directly opposing relationship with respect to the circuit breakers 16. In other words, the each of the openings 64 is opposing a respective circuit breaker 16. In this manner, the wires from the circuit breakers 16 may be readily routed through a respective sensor 60.
Referring to FIG. 7, during normal installation the support 62 is initially affixed within the power panel in an adjacent spaced apart relationship with respect to a set of circuit breakers 16. A support may be located on both sides of a set of circuit breakers 16, if desired. Another support more suitable for the right hand side of the circuit breakers may also be used. Then, the wires from the loads are passed through the respective sensors and interconnected to a respective circuit breaker 16. In addition, the wires 23a, 23b, and 23c, for sensing the voltage potentials on the bus bars are likewise electrically interconnected. The support 62 may be suitable for supporting a set of electrical traces that interconnect the sensors 60 to a connector 82. A cable 84 interconnects each connector 82 to a power monitor 24. To permit the sensors 60 to be readily interconnected with wires already interconnected to the circuit breakers 16 the sensors 60 may be constructed in a split-core manner. In this manner, the opening 64 may be opened, the wire inserted therein, and the opening 64 closed around substantially all of the wire.
To provide effective monitoring of the power usage used by the loads, the power monitor 24 may monitor the current levels of each of circuit breakers 16 together with the associated voltage potential and phase relationship.
The power monitor 24 may likewise be used to monitor the load balance between the different phases of the power panel 10. Frequently, the circuit breakers may be interconnected to a single phase when the loads require 120 volts, interconnected to two phases when the loads require 240 volts, and interconnected to three phases when the loads require three phase power. For example, the first phase of the power panel 10 may be supplying 70 amps, the second phase of the power panel 10 may be supplying 30 amps, and the third phase of the power panel 10 may be supplying 150 amps.
Referring to FIG. 8, another power meter configuration includes a generally portable handheld power meter 800. The power meter 800 may include three voltage phase inputs, namely, voltage phase A 810a, voltage phase B 810b, and voltage phase C 810c. The power meter 800 may also include three current phase inputs, namely, current phase A 820a, current phase B 820b, and current phase C 820c. By combining the corresponding voltage and current phases, a three phase power measurement may be determined. The power meter may also be used to sense single phase parameters and two phase parameters. Also, power factors, current levels, and voltage levels may be determined. However due to the limited spatial room, visual indications of the state of the meter may be provided to the user in the form of a binary state of a plurality of light emitting diodes 830a, 830b, 830c. While the use of such light emitting diodes may pass on information, it is desirable to provide additional information using visual indicators.
What is desired, therefore, is an effective electrical monitoring system.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.